A love of vintage clothing can lead to a small home-based business. These old clothes are still easy to find and easy to resell them from home. Vintage, antique and used designer clothing has become very popular in recent years. Collectors are wearing these classic fashions from the past.
Rare pieces could earn their owners enough to cover a car or mortgage payment. Online auction houses show thousands of items everyday in these categories. Study those sites to get a sense of what to look for – what collectors are actually buying. With time and experience, the investor will learn the language of dress design, fabric and fashion. And there are also numerous books available on vintage clothing which will prove helpful.
Selling Vintage Clothing Online
Vintage clothing is a renewable resource and as products, they are still easily found on the cheap. Begin with a very small investment and experiment by listing it on an online auction site. Present the piece well. List all the details, measurements, label information, fabric type and flaws. Take excellent pictures without any fuzziness. Show the item at its best in a good clear manner. A dressmaker's dummy would be ideal.
Selling Vintage Clothing in a Consignment Store
Consignment clothing stores will happily accept good vintage pieces. They typically take thirty percent or more from the final retail price, so the consignee should set his or her prices accordingly. The consignor will check the item thoroughly for wear and note any flaws. These stores typically want items that people will wear, not simply own. It could take time for the item to sell. Three months sitting in a shop is long enough.
Fashion Periods of Note
Circa 1960 designer and mod dresses are highly sought after and fortunately still easy to find. Try to stay away from anything that screams 1980s. The '30s and '40s were great fashion decades, and those clothes are being worn as well as collected. Many dealers make this era their niche, but it's fine to mix it up.